11/26/2007

The University of Calgary Dinos Men’s Basketball Team and the Jr. Dinos Basketball Club are once again pleased to host the 2008 Holiday Winter Clinic and Skills Camp. This year, the camp will feature Coaches from the Dinos and Jr. Dinos programs, as well as current and former players from the University of Calgary Men’s Program.

The focus of the camp is to give all participants the chance to develop and continue their basketball skill progression during the 2-week Holiday Break, while continuing to have fun with the game of basketball. The camp is open to players of all skill levels with a pre-dominant focus on conditioning and skill development.

Camp Details:

Dates: January 2nd and 3rd 2008
Times: 10am-3pm each day
Location: Red Gym at the University of Calgary
Ages: Boys, Ages 12-17
Cost: $75.00

To register, please email University of Calgary Dinos Men’s Head Assistant Coach, and Jr. Dinos General Manager and Head Coach Matt Skinn at mjskinn@ucalgary.ca. The email should include the players Name, Age, High School, Phone Number, Email, and Address. You can also register by phone, at 403 220 3453, or reach Matt Skinn at any time with any inqiuries. Payments can be made by cheque or cash. All cheques can be made payable to the Jr. Dinos Basketball Club, and all payments should be brought to the first day of Camp on January 2nd, 2008.

Each player is reminded to bring a water bottle, and any snacks or lunch that may be needed during the sessions as most of the University facilities will be closed for the Holiday Season. Also, each player MUST BRING THEIR OWN BASKETBALL to the camp. Camp Registration will start at 9:15am on January 2nd, 2008 prior to the first Camp Session. All registration fees will be accepted during camp registration prior to the first day of camps.

11/25/2007

The Calgary Dinos used a 4th quarter surge to blast the CIS 5th ranked Alberta Golden Bears 95 – 74 in the first of a pair of weekend games at the ‘Jack Simpson Gym’ in Calgary. Calgary, now 6-1 was down 45 – 43 at the half, and struggled when Ross Bekkering drew his 3rd foul early in the 3rd frame. Alberta appeared to be poised to take control, but in the last 10 minutes the Dinos outscored the visitors 27-13 ,and, paced by 28 pts., from Henry Bekkering, who also snared 9 rebounds, the home teal pulled away.

Another key to the outcome was the ball-handling and scoring of freshman Tyler Fidler, 14 pts, who makes it tough to pressure the Dinos with his height and skill with the ball. The Bears went to the line often in the second half, but shot poorly from the charity stripe , 13/29, and Calgary extended the lead on hoops from Robbie Sihota, 16 pts., 10 rebounds, Henry B. , and Fidler. Jeff Price added to the lead with some cool free throw shooting 12/12, and finished with 22 pts, while Andrew Champagnie, another freshman guard, had some strong defensive minutes in both halves.

The Dinos cashed in 35/44 free throws for 80%, and they out-rebounded the Bears 37 – 30. Alex Steele showed why he is one of the premier scorers in Canada West as he notched 25, with some sharp inside shooting. The turnovers were 21-20 in the Bears favour, as both teams were sloppy at times. The two teams go at it again Saturday night at 8:00 pm.-WT

Game 2: DINOS 98 Golden Bears 73

The Calgary Dinos have been building up to the kind of complete team effort they showed Saturday night in a 98-73 dismantling of their arch-rival Alberta Golden Bears. To this point in the season, Calgary has struggled to put together 40 minutes of basketball, but with six players in double figures, and much sharper defense and ball-handling, the Dinos completed a convincing sweep and are now alone atop the Central Division at 7-1.

Ross Bekkering, 18 pts., 11 rebounds, and Robbie Sihota, 17 pts., 10 boards, two post players who are now in their 3rd year, have grown into a fearsome front-court combination. They led the black-clad Dinos
with double-double performances and out-muscled the rugged Bears posts time and again. Alberta relied on the inside touch of 6’11” Richard Bates, who had 16 pts. and 12 rebounds in a losing cause.

Calgary ran their offense with precision in taking a 55-35 lead at the break, and they put the Alberta team in foul trouble, going 26/35 from the line compared to only 9/10 for Alberta. Cody Darrah,, 5th year shooting guard, found his range and hit 4/6 from beyond the arc and a 14 pt. total. Point guard Jeff Price was solid defensively, as well as dealing out 5 assists, and scoring 10 pts. Henry Bekkering and Josh Lovestone, 3rd year from Salmon Arm, B.C. also had 10 pts. each, and played a big role in mixing it up on the glass, and giving Calgary a 42-36 edge in rebounding.

Tyler Fidler, Jeremy Odland, and Joe Schow came up with valuable contributions off the bench, as Calgary played a far more aggressive defensive style as a team, and got points from 11 of the 12 players dressed. This was the most complete team effort of the season against a very good Bears team, which had been ranked 5th nationally coming into the weekend.

The Dinos are back on home court next weekend as the Saskatchewan Huskies (5-3) come to town. Alberta, now tied with the Huskies at 5-3 is away to Lethbridge (0-8).

11/19/2007

Led by an impressive brother act, the Calgary Dinos surged to a 25 pt. 3rd quarter lead, and coasted in for a 90-78 win over the Pronghorns in Lethbridge Friday. Henry Bekkering led Calgary with 25 pts., while his younger brother Ross added 22 pts. and snared 10 rebounds, for yet another double-double.

Coach Dan Vanhooren subbed liberally with 10 players playing at least 10 minutes, and the Calgary depth sunk the hapless ‘Horns, who dropped their 5th straight league game despite 26 pts. from a hot-shooting Quinn Van Gaalen, their impressive freshman guard.

The Dinos dominated inside as Lethbridge had no answer for the Bekkerings, Robbie Sihota, 11 pts., 7 boards, and Joe Schow, another Southern Alberta HS League grad (Magrath – ’03), 6 pts., 5 rebs. Calgary won the rebounding battle 47 – 36 , although ex-Dino Greg Jobagy grabbed 10 boards for the ‘Horns, who were also outshot 55% to 39% on the night.

The Dinos go to 4 – 1 in Canada West play. The two teams go at it again Saturday in Lethbridge, and Calgary will look to solidify a hold on top spot in the Central Division, and keep pace with Alberta, who beat Regina 79-71 in Edmonton.

After letting the Lethbridge Pronghorns back to the surface after nearly drowning the home team with points in the 3rd quarter Friday, the Calgary Dinos left little to chance in demolishing Lethbridge 94-66 Saturday. Once again, Ross Bekkering was huge for the visiting Dinos as he racked up 23 pts. and 17 big rebounds, showing Southern Alberta fans how much he has progressed from his high school days at W.R. Myers just down the road in Taber.

Rob Sihota also recorded a double-double with 13 pts. and 11 boards, while Henry Bekkering hit for 18 pts. to help Calgary stay tied atop the Central Division at 5-1 with the Alberta Golden Bears, who stopped the previously unbeaten Brandon Bobcats 106 -93 in Edmonton. The Dinos host the Bears next weekend in a pair of games.

Calgary shot the ball well for the 2nd night in a row, hitting on 31/40 free throws, as they took it to the overwhelmed ‘Horns in the paint, and they were 49% from the floor, with 9/17 from beyond the arc. Lethbridge got another good game from point guard Richard Steed, 24 pts, 5 assts., but Quinn Van Gaalen was held in check, shooting only 3/15 from the field in scoring 10 points. Jeff Price dished out 7 assists for Calgary, and the Dinos crushed the ‘Horns 50-29 in the battle on the boards.

11/12/2007

11/11/2007

Coming off of two dramatic home court victories against UBC and UVic last weekend, the Dinos Men’s Basketball team this time travelled to the coast of BC to play against the SFU Clan and the TWU Spartans.

Game 1:
SFU Clan 94 DINOS 82

Shooting a hot 60% from the floor and 57% from the 3 point arc, the Clan were able to seemingly score at will against the Dinos in a very porous defensive effort. Able to come back from an early deficit, the Dinos were able to cut the lead to 6 points at half time thanks in large part to the 3 pt shooting touch of point guard Jeff Price who had 15 at the half. The Dinos had to play the majority of the first half without their starting front court as Henry and Ross Bekkering, and Robbie Sihota all had to watch with 2 fouls.

The second half began with the Clan scoring on 6 consecutive possessions including 4 threes from Kevin Shaw to put the Dinos in a hole early in the third frame. The Clan would go on to score 32 points in the third quarter: the most against the Dinos in any game this season.

Clawing back, the Dinos attacked with their athleticism inside, posting up with Sihota and the Bekkerings and were able to cut the lead from 20 to 6 with 3 minutes remaining. A key steal on the break sealed the victory for the Clan as they came away with the victory as well as their first conference win of the season. The loss was a disappointing one for the Dinos who were unable to capitalize on their opportunities and simply could not come up with the stops needed for the victory.

The Clan were led by 6 players in double figures including all 5 starters. The Dinos were led by Cody Darrah and Jeff Price who each tallied 16 points in the loss, while Ross Bekkering led the Dinos with 11 rebounds in only 16 minutes of playing time.

The Dinos looked hungry and ready against the Spartans on Saturday night in Langley. Facing off against a quick and pressing team, the Dinos were able to control the ball, use their advantage on the inside, and come away with the win. The Dinos looked like a completely different team from the one that played just 24 hours previous, led by the efforts of Henry Bekkering, who paced the Dinos with 20 points and 10 rebounds in only 23 minutes of action.

The Dinos stormed out of the gates leading 27-7 at one point, and were up 34-18 after the first quarter. The Dinos limited their turnovers to just 7 against the running and jumping Spartans, and were able to put them away with the stellar ball handling of 6’9″ Tyler Fidler, Brennen Fule, and Cody Darrah who had to pick up the slack with an ailing Jeff Price.

The Dinos travel to Lethbridge for a double header with the Pronghorns this upcoming weekend for their first inter-division games of the season. The Horns are led by Guards Richard Steed, Ryan Anderson, Shawn Nelson and Quinn VanGaalen. Action begins on Friday night at 8pm.

11/9/2007

11/4/2007

For three quarters of their game with UBC on Saturday, the Dinos looked inept, unsure, and tentative … and then … a light went on and the home team went on a tear, cutting an 11 pt. Thunderbird lead and pulling ahead 62-61 on a brilliant drive and consequent 3 pt. play from Tyler Fidler.

From there Calgary held onto the lead for the final 3 minutes with key baskets from Henry Bekkering and Robbie Sihota, while UBC’s scoring efforts were limited by a more aggressive Dinos defense. Calgary was led by a 20 point and 14 rebound game from Ross Bekkering, who consistently soared above the crowd to snare possession off errant T’Bird attempts. Jeff Price chipped in 17 points and 5 rebounds, Tyler Fidler scored 16 with 5 boards, and Robbie Sihota had 14 pts. and 5 rebounds.

At the half UBC was up 36 – 22, as the Dinos could only manage a paltry 8-37 … 22% from the floor. The second half was much better as Calgary hit 46% … 17-37. Foul shooting was a weakness once again as the Dinos hit on only 17 of 30 from the line. The rebounding was even for the game UC 39 – UBC – 38. A big crowd of 2020 enjoyed the spirited comeback, as Calgary’s intensity on defense turned the game in their favour.

While neither game was an artistic masterpiece, the Dinos did come away from the opening weekend with two wins against the top teams in the Pacific Division. They are tied with Alberta for first in the Central Division, as the Bears beat Fraser Valley 88 – 62 in Abbotsford Saturday. Saskatchewan evened their record at 1-1 with a 102 – 79 win at Thompson Rivers. Lethbridge lost 68-54 to Victoria, and the ‘Horns fall to 0-2.

Calgary hits the road for games at Simon Fraser Friday, Nov. 9 and at Trinity Western Saturday, the 10th. Much progress will need to be made if the Dinos are to win consistently on the road, as this type of come from behind win is rare when you travel in Canada West.

CALGARY – Henry Bekkering hit an eight-foot jump shot at the buzzer as the Calgary Dinos overcame a sloppy, error-filled second half to record a 64-62 win over the Victoria Vikes Friday at the Jack Simpson Gym.

Holding possession with less than 30 seconds to play and the score tied 62-62, the Vikes missed a shot as the shot clock buzzer went off, giving Calgary the ball with just over six seconds to play. Robbie Sihota found Jeff Price with a long pass up the court, and Price forwarded it to Bekkering inside the key. The NCAA transfer, playing his first CIS game, took one dribble then put up a turnaround jumper that bounced around the rim before falling good, sending the 915 fans in attendance into a frenzy.

“It was fun to make that shot, but I didn’t really have a great game, and I took some bad shots too,” said Bekkering, who finished with 15 points and five rebounds on the night. “Our defense wasn’t that good, and we didn’t execute on offense. It was good to get our first Canada West win, but we have to play better tomorrow.”

Bekkering provided two highlight-reel moments to bookend the game – the buzzer-beater to win it, along with an alley oop dunk early in the contest.

Calgary executed well early and jumped out to a 19-15 lead after the first quarter, but tenacious defence by the Vikes limited the Dinos’ success through the next two quarters. Tyler Hass gave the Vikes the lead at 25-24 midway through the second quarter, a lead they would hold until the early moments of the fourth when Sihota put the Dinos up 53-32.

While Victoria played tight defence, the Dinos struggled with theirs, especially off the glass. Victoria grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to Calgary’s 21 defensive boards, but Victoria’s often came at key moments.

Despite its defensive troubles, Calgary was able to keep the game within reach, never falling more than five points behind Victoria. After finally putting together a couple of defensive stops early in the fourth quarter, the Dinos took the 53-52 lead, setting up an intense final eight minutes. The Vikes kept the Dinos from getting more than three points ahead and took a 60-59 lead themselves when Hass made a lay-up with just over three minutes remaining. The teams traded baskets from there, and Victoria took a 62-61 lead with 90 seconds to play. Sihota hit one of two free throws to tie it up, setting up Bekkering’s heroics at the buzzer.

“We’ll always take a W. An ugly win is better than losing the basketball game,” said Calgary coach Dan Vanhooren. “We have a talented team, and maybe the last couple years we don’t win that game.

“We really didn’t shoot it well all night long. The other thing that hurt us was rebounding and our turnovers in the second quarter. It was a big hoop by Henry at the end, and some big hoops by Robbie Sihota down the stretch there as well.”

Calgary had several opportunities to put the game away but shot an anemic 54 per cent from the free throw line, including only five of 13 in the second half. Ross Bekkering missed six straight free throws in the fourth quarter, and Sihota only managed to go 4-for-7 from the line.

Hass led the way for Victoria with 15 points, while Robbie Kinnear had a monster night with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Ross Bekkering matched Kinnear’s double-double with one of his own, potting 11 points and hauling in 10 boards. Sihota added 15 points, while senior Cody Darrah added a dozen for Calgary.

The win puts Calgary at 1-0 to open the Canada West season, while Victoria falls to 2-1 after its first setback of the season.

The Vikes head south to face the Lethbridge Pronghorns Saturday night, while the Dinos will play host to the UBC Thunderbirds, with tip-off slated for 8 p.m.

11/1/2007

It’s the home opening weekend for your men’s and women’s basketball teams in what is shaping up to be a very successful basketball season. Dinos men’s coach Dan Vanhooren says “Our expectations are that we’ll be one of the top teams in Canada West by the end of the year. We have a legitimate shot at winning this conference.” Dinos women’s coach Shawnee Harle says “We’re going to be tough on both ends of the floor, and I think we’ll be very difficult for teams to match up with offensively.”

The Dinos play division rivals UVic on Friday night and UBC on Saturday night (women’s games start at 6, men’s at 8). There will be great basketball action on both nights and on Saturday join us as we “Pack the Jack, trying to set a record for attendance. Students who attend on Saturday can enter to win prizes such as a NintendoWii, Den gift certificates, Dinos gift packs, and much more. Bring a friend to the game, wear red and cheer your Dinos on as they tip-off for the new season.

For more information visit www.ucalgary.ca/currentstudents/packthejack